


Project Skyward

by mattiebluebird (ScarlettBond)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universes, Deceit Remus and Virgil have animalistic qualities, Rated E for Exposition, Roman and Remus are half-brothers, Roman just wants to go home and Virgil just wants a home, Short Chapters, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Unhappy ending technically but it's not too bad, dimension hopping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23730730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettBond/pseuds/mattiebluebird
Summary: For the briefest of seconds the transporter grew so hot it started to melt, and its runes flashed a red so bright it lit up the entire room. The heat sensors in the room went off, alerting everyone that the transporter was activated, but it was too late.Without a sound, both it and Roman disappeared.
Relationships: Familial Dark Sides, Platonic DLAMPTR
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Logan watched through bulletproof, six inch glass as Patton worked on the SIB transporter. If anything went wrong he doubted even the thickest glass in the world would help him, but it was still unwise to tempt fate.

The transporter itself was deceptively small, barely large enough for an average-sized human to stand on. It looked for all the world like the average dimensional transporter, but Logan knew exactly how dangerous it was.

For the last four years, Logan Thompson had been part of the Skyward Project: an attempt to make a dimensional transporter capable of passing the SIB. The SIB (Small Infinity Border) was the scientific term for the point at which dimensions started to look very different from their own. In theory passing this border was impossible, but said theory had little proof behind it. All they knew was that to date no dimension hopper had been powerful enough to cross it, and the development of dimensional transporters -machines with the power of dimension hoppers stored in them- opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.

The power of dimension hoppers was an explosive, unstable thing. It wasn't meant to be encased in cold metal but in living flesh, and studies showed there was a subtle but stark difference in the physiologies of hoppers and non-hoppers. If the runes were applied incorrectly it could cause an unreality to form, with the size of the unreality being directly connected to the amount of power stored in the transporter.

With the amount of power required for this transporter, the unreality would be large enough to engulf Earth.

Logan took a deep breath and stilled his hands, which had been fidgeting with his pencil. He had to have faith- not in himself, but in his calculations, in the work of countless scientists and skilled dimension hoppers.

This would not fail.

The sound of Patton's voice startled him out of his reverie. "Okay, the last rune was added and it appears to be holding steady. Can you open the door?"

Logan adjusted the mic before saying, "Yes, of course."

Patton Harper was a Type Red dimension hopper and the prime dimensional science consultant on the Skyward Project. He and Logan had been working closely for the last three years, and (in Logan's opinion) had become friends out of sheer necessity.

Patton took off his gloves -thick, heat resistant- and tossed them in the bin to be washed. His face was flushed, dark blonde hair damp with sweat. Runes produced heat, but Logan knew hoppers could sense dimensional anomalies and couldn't help but wonder if that played a part.

He'd have to ask later. Right now, Patton needed rest before he collapsed from exhaustion. After all, the runes  _ had _ been drawn from his own power reservoir.

Logan, however, was vibrating with excitement. Not  _ literally _ , as that was both physically impossible and poor work etiquette, but he certainly felt like he was. Tomorrow they'd run the first test on Project Skyward. If it worked, it would be one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in history- and Logan Thompson would be there to see it.

They left, Patton with his eyelids drooping and Logan with the smallest of smiles on his face.

The transporter sat, slowly increasing in temperature. The scientists' calculations had been correct down to the last decimal, but they couldn't account for one thing: That Patton Harper, tired and eager to finish, would pour just a  _ little _ more power into the last rune than necessary.

This tiny excess of energy threw everything off balance. It thrummed against metal, desperate to be let out but unable to leave. All it needed was someone,  _ anyone _ , with the tiniest scrap of dimensional power.

Five minutes later Roman Prince, security guard and Type Blue dimension hopper, stepped into the hallway Project Skyward's room was in.

For the briefest of seconds the transporter grew so hot it started to melt, and its runes flashed a red so bright it lit up the entire room. The heat sensors in the room went off, alerting everyone that the transporter was activated, but it was too late.

Without a sound, both it and Roman disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: two (2) swear words, Roman has a bit of a freak out.

_ Excerpt from "Non-Hoppers Guide to Dimension Hopping": _

_ The Color System was devised in the early 1800's to categorize dimension hoppers' power levels. At the time the only recognized types were green, yellow, and red, with green being the least powerful and red being the most. It has always been known that for some hoppers there was a "boundary" they couldn't cross, and the types were decided based on how soon they encountered this "boundary" in their transdimensional journeys. _

_ Since the discovery of the S.I.B (Small Infinity Boundary) the categories have both broadened and grown more precise in their definitions, with a new type added to the system: Blue. Type Blues cannot travel between dimensions on their own, but they are capable of sensing, manipulating, and in some cases  _ creating  _ dimensional anomalies in a way no other type can do. _

_ Before they were added to the Color System, Type Blues were ... _

* * *

Thomas Sanders was a Type Yellow dimension hopper and leader of Project Skyward. He had advanced degrees in physics and dimensional theory, and was widely revered as a skilled dimension hopper, even if he wasn't the most powerful.

Logan would be lying if he said he didn't respect him. His friendliness, at times, bordered on unprofessional and he had a reputation for getting too emotionally invested in his projects (something Logan had a particular distaste for), but he'd time and time again proved himself to be one of the best in his field.

And in the four years since Logan started working for him, he'd never  _ once _ heard him curse. Which was why it came as such a shock when Sanders, upon seeing the security footage, said softly but with feeling, "What the  _ fuck _ ."

"It would appear we miscalculated," Logan said, fingers tapping against his arms nervously. No matter how kind Sanders was, a mistake of this size would surely have Logan fired from the project- if there even  _ was _ a project after this. "And ...that's not all."

Sanders' eyes had been glued to the thirty second footage playing on a loop, but they snapped up at that, wide with what could've been anger or dread. Logan had never been very good at gauging expressions. "What is it?" Sanders said slowly.

Logan reached over and clicked to the security footage of the hallway outside the testing chambers. They watched as a security guard started walking down the hall, flashlight in hand. The time at the bottom right corner showed 9:42 PM. It changed to 9:43 -the exact same time the transporter had vanished- and the guard disappeared.

No flash, no bang, no warning. Just ...gone.

Sanders pulled away from the computer and ran a hand through his hair. Once it became clear he wasn't going to say anything, Logan cleared his throat. "I pulled up the guard's records. He was a Type Blue, which may explain why the transporter latched onto him. His name was Roman Santiago P-"

"I know his name," Sanders interrupted suddenly, hands now covering his face. His voice came out slightly muffled. "He was my  _ cousin _ ."

Logan opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn't quite sure what to say. Sanders pulled his hands away from his face, and when he spoke his tone was authoritative. "Get Harper working on a rescue as soon as possible. If Ro- if Prince is stuck in an unreality we may not have much time."

Logan nodded and pulled out his phone, getting ready to tell Patton he was needed. He turned away, but Sanders' voice stopped him.

"And Thompson?" He said. "Try to keep this quiet. I don't want to deal with the bad publicity if it got out we lost a civilian."

* * *

Roman had no fucking idea what'd happened. One second he was patrolling the halls, making sure everything was locked for the night, and the next he was standing in the break room with a red hot transporter in his hands.

He gave a very manly squeak and dropped it, then looked around in confusion. The break room appeared normal, right down to the half-empty cup of coffee he'd left on the table (he'd intended to come back for it).

Roman, despite what multiple people have claimed, was quite smart and managed to piece together what happened in just a few seconds. When runes were inexpertly applied to transporters, it could result in their power latching onto the nearest dimension hopper in an attempt to balance themselves. The more power was in the transporter, the more power was poured into the hopper. Type Blues and Reds were particularly susceptible to this; Blues because of their unique abilities, Reds because of their sheer power.

If this transporter was the one he thought it was, judging from the rumors he'd heard while working at the facility, it was  _ extremely  _ powerful.

He was nowhere close to his home dimension. He might be in a collapsing unreality, the walls of which might be closing _at this very moment_ -

His hands were shaking. "It's fine," he whispered, tucking his hands under his arms to stop the tremors, "It'll be fine. They're probably launching a rescue mission right now!"

Roman took a shaky breath, the sound strangely loud in the silence of this new dimension. "It'll be fine," he repeated. "I'll be out of here in a few hours."

The words sounded fake, even to his own ears.


End file.
